Minter Dial

SPEAKING.COM: What do you want people to learn / take away from your presentations?

DIAL: I’m a big believer in the power of storytelling. I like to relate stories – personal stories when possible — that shake up preconceptions and help to create a new narrative in organizations. With a desire to mix inspiration with pragmatism, I will systematically look to create some quick wins and/or concrete action steps to be taken immediately. I believe that change comes through action and understanding why you need to do so.

SPEAKING.COM: What kind of special prep work do you do prior to an event? How do you prepare for your speaking engagements?

DIAL: For a seminar I typically count 1.5x the length of the seminar in terms of conception and preparation. For a keynote, I always customize my speech for the audience for three reasons: (1) to make sure we can fit the customer brief and timing; (2) to update the examples and cases so that they’re the most relevant; and (3) to myself keep myself from getting bored.

I like to use Apple Keynote and will create a slide presentation that is loaded with strong images and few words. Once I have created the right presentation, I tend to do three dry run rehearsals behind closed doors before I go live.

SPEAKING.COM: Have you had any particularly memorable speaking engagements / unusual situations arise while on the road?

DIAL: Having done over 500 talks, there are many “war” stories. But the show must go on.

While speaking for a client (in banking) at a top team offsite, a second speaker (for dinner) didn’t show up, so I had to conjure up a replacement speech to cover for him. Since I have a number of topics I talk on, it was just a question of finding the right topic. I don’t usually do after-dinner speaking because it usually means being funny … but it worked nicely. I’ve since done quite a few dinner talks..

Among the typical things that happen “on the road,” are problems such as the tech not working or the client requiring me to make my speech shorter than planned. Depending on the amount of warning, the shrinking of a speech can be rather awkward and hurt not just the flow but the strength of the content. But it’s important to remember that the audience doesn’t know what was initially planned. With sufficient time, I’d have made a shorter presentation, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde.

SPEAKING.COM: What types of audiences would most benefit from your message?

DIAL: I have a wide span of themes, going from new tech trends, branding, digital transformation to leadership habits all the way up to inspirational talks, so the types of audience that benefit vary. I can speak at large conferences with a heterogeneous audience or to a handful of executives in the boardroom. If I were forced to name a target audience, it would be mid-to-high level executives. The typical job profiles might be marketing, sales and C-suite. In terms of sectors it’s varied: finance, retail, luxury, FMCG, tech…

SPEAKING.COM: Which of your keynote speaking topics are your favorites and why?

DIAL: Probably my favorite speech to deliver is entitled “Energy in Connection” as it seems to resonate so much. So many people seem to be burned out or lacking direction. This speech provides some strong action steps to help people find a sense of purpose, be more time efficient and regain energy. I must say that the topic of Empathy in business and AI has become a hot topic of late.

SPEAKING.COM: What inspired you to start doing speaking engagements?

DIAL: I was a thespian at school and always enjoyed public speaking (plays, musicals…). I love the effect of storytelling on people, kids right up through octogenarians.

In my first job out of university, I chaired international meetings and made speeches every morning on the squawk box. At L’Oréal, I became an official spokesperson. As MD of Redken worldwide, I would kick off the annual address of our convention to an audience of 10,000 people. I regularly give talks at schools as well as retirement homes.

I love to move people with stories and help teams to get the energy to face the challenges and change ahead.

SPEAKING.COM: How much do case studies, personal stories and or humor factor into your keynote speech content?

DIAL: I tend to like to include one personal story up front. I will draw on examples and case studies providing I truly understand the insights. Best I can, I will draw on personal experience, including my experience as a senior executive at L’Oréal. My sense of humour can best be described as British and mostly underplayed, but I’m not afraid to employ it.

SPEAKING.COM: What are some of the successes you’ve helped clients make?

DIAL: I would say that the biggest successes are when I am brought in to do consultancy work. I created and ran the Digital Academy for the luxury group, Kering, for three years. In that process, I helped them steer their entire digital transformation programme. I also ran a two-year programme for Samsung to help them with their digital marketing.

The most lasting effect of my speech, Energy in Connection, is to help people to find their true North. I’ve had many times feedback that this has had the biggest effect on them.